Polled NBA Players Pick Jordan Over LeBron and Kobe to Take Last Shot

If Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were all somehow in their primes and on the court together, the vast majority of 26 NBA players polled by ESPN say they want MJ taking the last shot (though, interestingly enough, a quarter of the players in the poll think LBJ will go down as the best of all time): “Asked which player they wanted to take the last shot with the clock winding down and a game on the line, 88 percent of the players picked Jordan, with Bryant getting the other 12 percent. ‘That’s like ranking the shortest giant,’ an Eastern Conference guard said. ‘I’d want the ball in LeBron’s hands at the end of the game, but I’d want him to pass to Kobe or Jordan for the last shot. And don’t forget, LeBron is not a great free throw shooter, either.’ According to ESPN Stats & Information, James actually is a better shooter from the field than Bryant on game-tying or go-ahead field goals in the final 24 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime of postseason games. He checks in at 41.2 percent (7-for-17), while Bryant is at 25 percent (7-for-28). Jordan rules that stat, though, at 50 percent (9-for-18). Yet, 23 percent of players polled think James will be considered the best player in history when his career is over. ‘I don’t know if he’ll be able to match Michael Jordan’s rings, but he’ll be top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals when his career is over,’ a former teammate said. ‘To do that in this era, you have to call LeBron the greatest ever.’”